By Bridget Manley, publisher
Even as Virginia Democrats consider amending the state constitution to redraw congressional districts, three candidates are now seeking the Democratic nomination for the district that spans the Shenandoah Valley and is currently represented by Republican Ben Cline.
Ken Mitchell, who ran against Cline in 2024, announced Friday at the Golden Pony that he’s running again. Mitchell joins Pete Barlow, a former FEMA official who announced his candidacy in August, and author and former journalist Beth Macy, who hinted at her candidacy earlier this week when a donation page appeared on the Democrats’ ActBlue fundraising website. Macy wrote the 2018 Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner, “Dopesick.”
Mitchell’s announcement arrives amid ongoing uncertainty about Virginia’s congressional maps. Some Virginia Democrats are working on a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would redraw congressional districts before the midterm elections, as other states like Texas have done and as other states, like California, are considering in order to stack as many districts as possible toward one party or the other.
Barlow opposes the proposed constitutional amendment in Virginia.
He issued a press release Friday morning and acknowledged the need for Democrats to fight fire with fire, saying, “America, as we know it, depends on Democrats winning back the House of Representatives,” but saying such efforts shouldn’t come at the integrity of districts.
“Redrawing district lines may help achieve that goal. But in the case of Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District, it is unnecessary and counterproductive,” Barlow said.
A new map could radically change Valley’s representation in Congress
Several new maps have been proposed in recent weeks, but none are official. If the maps are redrawn, like one printed in Cardinal News, much of the Valley would be divided into different districts, each connected to heavily Democratic-leaning areas in Northern Virginia.
In an interview with The Citizen, Barlow said carving up the Valley would undermine the fabric of the 6th Congressional District. He said Democrats should keep a district where representatives can focus on the needs and concerns of rural constituents, without further adding to the neglect rural Virginians have experienced for decades.
“If we prioritize a national arms race over local relationships, we might win a battle for two years, but we’re going to lose a generation of people who will resent the party, and we’ll lose all of the progress we’ve made,” Barlow said.
Alleyn Harned, chair of the Harrisonburg Democrats, had a slightly different view on redistricting. He told The Citizen that many residents prefer a Democrat and feel Cline does not represent them.
“Harrisonburg Democrats recognize the importance to this nation for the commonwealth to do our level best to balance off the actions that the president forced through Texas,” Harned said. “Harrisonburg Democrats are neutral in primaries. We will have policy discussions. We support the chance for the voters of Virginia to be heard on this, just like the voters of California were heard on this. From informal anecdotal polling and what I hear from neighbors, I would assume Harrisonburg voters would vote strongly for the amendment.”
Mitchell also had a different take. He said he had two opinions, one as a candidate and one as a Virginian.
He said that as a candidate, the move could present challenges if he doesn’t know what the districts will look like going into 2026.
“My experience as a military officer and in war planning taught me that you can’t fight the battle on the lines that may have been drawn on a map,” Mitchell said. “You have to be fluid and able to react, adapt and overcome the changes that occur. It is challenging, and we have to figure out where we put out time, our energy, and our money.”
He said, however, as a Virginian, he supports the idea.
“The mere fact that it is going through the constitutional amendment process and will go to a ballot for Virginians to vote on, I fully support whatever the Virginian voter is voting for,” Mitchell said. “As one who is going to vote on that, I’m fully for redistricting, and I understand why we are doing it. We didn’t pick the fight; the fight was brought to us.”
Mitchell said he will continue to run in any new district, should the constitutional amendment pass.
Barlow declined to say if he would run in the new district if the amendment passes.
“I’m running in the 6th District right now because that’s the legally established district,” Barlow said. “There are a lot of things that will have to change. This is going to go to a statewide vote. It’s being challenged in courts. So, I just don’t know what that looks like, and ultimately, I want to run to represent my community. However, we’ll have to deal with it when it comes.”
Democrats seeking to defeat Cline
The 6th District has been a Republican stronghold even before the 2021 redistricting. Cline has been in office since 2018. In every election, he has won with more than 59% of the vote.
Cline also has a significant war chest, with $427,978 cash on hand, according to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
If the district stays the same, a Democratic challenger has an uphill battle defeating Cline.
But Cline has drawn criticism in recent months with his social media pages filled with constituents unhappy with the lack of town halls or other opportunities to meet with voters.
In the 2025 Virginia election, Democrats made significant gains not only throughout the Commonwealth but also at the local level. Rockingham County shifted 15 points more in favor of Democrats, and this swing was felt across the Valley and the entire state, according to VPAP.
When Mitchell, who is a veteran and small farmer from Rockingham County, ran against Cline in the 2024 race, Cline won with more than 63% of the vote. Mitchell received nearly 35% of the vote, and Libertarian Robby Wells garnered less than 2% of the vote.
Mitchell said Friday he is again running on civility and is putting issues such as the cost of living, agriculture, healthcare and transportation at the top of his list.
“Affordability is at the top of the ticket,” Mitchell said. “Housing costs. The high cost of childcare, groceries, insurance, all of the things in day-to-day life, the kitchen table issues in hard-working Virginians’ day-to-day lives, they have to solve and react to.”
He referenced effects from the longest government shutdown, which lasted 43 days before ending Thursday. Specifically, he pointed to disruption in federal funding to programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps people cover the cost of food.
“When we have a government that is cutting SNAP benefits, taking Medicaid away, and our social safety net, it’s even more crucial these days that we help hard-working families make ends meet,” he said.
Mitchell said that in his 2024 campaign, he’d spent much of his time reaching out to independent and Republican voters and anticipated those voters might be more inclined to hear his message in the current political climate.
“In 2025, we saw the races that were run in all 100 House [of Delegates] districts in Virginia, and they [Republicans] tried the same song and dance routine that they did in 2024, and it did not fly, and we saw the needle move more to Democrats in every district,” Mitchell said. “It clearly indicates to me that Virginia is not red or blue these days, but is looking for the candidates that are real, that are ready to stand up and fight for them and improve their lives.”
Barlow is a tenth-generation Valley resident and former FEMA official who left that position following Donald Trump’s reelection to the presidency.
Macy is a former journalist at The Roanoke Times and has authored two bestsellers, including “Dopesick,” which explores the development of the opioid epidemic in the United States.
Barlow told The Citizen that he welcomed both challengers to the field and maintained that he was the best person to beat Cline in 2026.
Mitchell echoed those sentiments regarding his challengers and anticipated a civil primary campaign season.
The primary in Virginia will be held on June 16, 2026.
Thanks for reading The Citizen, which won the Virginia Press Association’s 2022 News Sweepstakes award as the top online news site in Virginia. We’re independent. We’re local. We pay our contributors, and the money you give goes directly to the reporting. No overhead. No printing costs. Just facts, stories and context. We value your support.
